Container having resilient support means

ABSTRACT

A container including a metal frame over which are plastic sheets secured to it by fasteners, a bottom support for the container including spaced pads filled with foam material capable of withstanding compression loads and providing shock absorbing properties, the door of the container having a peripheral flange which overlaps a comparable flange around the door opening, the flanges having convergent portions so that they can be wedged together, with a gasket providing a seal, while latches hold the door in the secured position.

United States Patent [191 Yarbrough 1 CONTAINER HAVING RESILIENT SUPPORTMEANS [75] Inventor: James G. Yarbrough, Mission Viejo,

Calif.

[73] Assignee: Jet Forwarding, Inc., Santa Ana,

Calif.

[22] Filed: Feb. 29, 1972 [21] App]. No.: 230,238

[52] US. Cl 220/1.5, 220/77, 206/60 A, 217/52, 248/350 [51] Int. Cl B65jl/02 [58] Field of Search...; 220/1.5,-41-, 84, 38, 69, 220/77; 248/350,358; 108/58; 217/52; 206/60 A [56] References Cited UNITED STATESPATENTS 384,701 6/1888 Mahon et a1 220/41 2,545,758 3/1951 Best 220/842,815,880 12/1957 Blatz et a1 220/l.5 3,032,227 5/1962 Guralnick et a1..220/l.5 3,104,085 9/1963 Skladany 206/60 A X 3,338,542 8/1967 Meinhard248/358 R X I1: 14 l 15: {I at ;i :t: v

[451 Aug. is, 1974 Primary ExaminerWi1liam 1. Price AssistantExaminerSteven M. Pollard Attorney, Agent, or FirmRichard F. Carr [57]ABSTRACT A container including a metal frame over which are plasticsheets secured to it by fasteners, a bottom support for the containerincluding spaced pads filled with foam material capable of withstandingcompression loads and providing shock absorbing properties, the door ofthe container having a peripheral flange which overlaps a comparableflange around the door opening, the flanges having convergent portionsso that they can be wedged together, with a gasket providing a seal,while latches hold the door in the secured position.

7 Claims, 15 Drawing Figures PATENTEUAUBI slam SHEET 3 0F 4 CONTAINERHAVING RESILIENT SUPPORT MEANS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field ofthe Invention This invention pertains to a container.

2. Description of Prior Art Containers, such as those intended for theshipment of household goods, are subject to severe punishment duringservice and, hence, must be of the most rugged construction.Nevertheless, despite efforts to increase the strength of suchcontainers, those of conventional design frequently are subject tofailure and do not offer full security for their contents. Neither willconventional containers meet the exacting requirements of militarystandards which have been issued for such containers. These include droptests, stacking tests and tests for racking, impact and puncture. Othertests specified in the military standard relate to resistance tocondensation of moisture, watertightness and temperature. In any ofthese categories, the ordinary container may fail, and none will passall of the specified tests.

When a conventional container is dropped, even if the container is notdamaged, the contents may be severely harmed from the impact. This isbecause there is nothing to soften the impact, which is transmitteddirectly to the contents. Opening and closing of conventional containersfrequently is an involved and lengthy procedure that may include theaddition of caulking in an effort to retard the ingress of moisture tothe container. This wastes labor in the use of the containers. Woodencontainers frequently are handed to help hold them together so that theywill not be knocked apart when in use. This, again, involves an extraexpense in the banding operation. Conventional containers also requirepaint to prevent deterioration over a period of time and to enhancetheir appearance. This, of course, necessitates continual maintenance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an improvedcontainer which overcomes the above-noted difficulties, providing a unitof greatly improved strength and durability. The container is builtaround a sturdy tubular metal frame, which is welded and bolted into aunitary assembly. Over the frame are plastic sheets, which are ribbed toincrease their rigidity, and which also enables the sheets to expand andcontract under temperature changes without damage to the container. Theplastic sheets are secured directly to the frame by fasteners. At theoverlapping joints of the plastic wall sheets, caulking material isprovided which permanently seals and prevents entry of moisture. Thebase of the unit includes a plywood sheet, to which the bottom portionof the frame is attached, so that loads may be transmitted directlythrough the frame to the base. Beneath the plywood is an integralplastic sheet formed to define spaced pockets that act as pads for thebase. In these pockets is a foam plastic material. This support for thecontainer is not only durable, but also provides an importantshock-resistant property so that the contents of the container are notsubjected to sharp jolts when the container is dropped.

The door for the container includes a peripheral flange on three sides,which engages a comparable flange around the door opening. These flangesinclude opposite portions which converge upwardly, allowing thedoor tobe wedged on the flange of the container. A gasket between the flangesprovides a seal. An additional gasket is provided at the bottom of thedoor to provide a seal at the lower edge of the door opening. Latches atthe bottom of the door help draw it into a tight engagement with theflange of the container and securely hold it in place. The door isinstalled and removed simply by rectilinear movement, so that there isno necessity for a wide space around the end of the container as wouldbe the case for a swinging door. However, if desired, hinges can beprovided with pins which allow lateral movement of the door in engagingand disengaging the flange of the container, for pivotal movement whenthe flanges are disengaged.

The container constructed in this manner can pass all of the governmentspecifications provided in MIL STD 1489. Despite its strength anddurability, it is relatively light in weight. Moreover, the containersaves labor by such features as the quick opening and closing of thedoor, the lack of need to caulk around the door, the absence of therequirement for banding and the lack of maintenance required for theplastic wall coverings. The container is attractive in appearance andwill retain its appearance throughout its life, with no painting beingrequired.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of thecontainer of this invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the framework of thecontainer;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are enlarged fragmentary views showing the connections ofportions of the frame;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the bottom of thecontainer;

FIG. 6 is a transverse sectional view taken along line 66 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along line 77 ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 1';

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the front end portionof the container with the door open;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view illustrating one ofthe latches in the secured position;

FIG. 11 is an elevational view of the latch in the released position;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the portion of the latch that isattached to the container;

FIG. 13 is an end elevational view of the container;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged fragmentary view illustrating how the flanges ofthe door and the container are disengaged when the door is to beseparated from the container; and

1 FIG. 15 is an end elevational view of the container modified toprovide for pivotal as well as vertical movement of the door.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The shipping container 10, inthe example shown, is a rectangular unit approximately 7 feet high, 8feet long and 4 feet wide. At one end of the container is a door 12,which provides access to its interior. Beneath the skin of the containeris a frame 13 made of square steel tubing welded and screwed together toform a rigid unit (see FIG. 2). The frame includes bottom, intermediateand top longitudinal, horizontal side rails 14, 15 and 16, as well asbottom and top horizontal end rails 17 and 18. An intermediatehorizontal end member 19 is included in one end of the framework, theother being open to allow for the door. There are also intermediate tophorizontal members 20 extending perpendicularly between the two toplongitudinal frame rails 16. The frame 13 also includes vertical endcorner posts 21 and intermediate vertical posts 22 at the midpoints ofthe sidewalls.

The side frame parts 14, 15, 21 and 22 are welded together as asubassembly. Similarly, the top frame members 16, 18 and 20 are joinedby welding. L-shaped brackets 23, one leg of each of which is welded toa frame member, receive screws 24 that complete the fabrication of theframe.

The bottom horizontal frame rails 14 and 17 rest upon the upper surfaceof a flat rigid plywood sheet 25 of the container base 26. The framerails 14 and 17 are positioned along the side edges of the sheet 25, to

which they are attached by means of screws 27. This allows forces on thecontainer, such as compression loads from above, to be transmitteddirectly through the frame to the base. Beneath the plywood sheet 25,which appropriately is three-quarter inch plywood having a'finishedupper surface, are spaced pads 28. The latter elements act as skids tosupport the container. By being spaced apart, they allow the prongs of aforklift to be extended beneath the container 10 from its ends or sides.Nine pads 28 are provided in the example illustrated.

An integral plastic sheet 29 fits beneath the plywood sheet 25, beingmolded to provide pockets which define the outer contours of the pads28. Intermediate the pads 28, the plastic sheet 29 overlies theundersurface of the plywood sheet 25 and is bonded to it. The sheet 29,which may be of polyethylene approximately threesixteenths of an inchthick, includes a short upstanding vertical flange 31 around itsperiphery, which overlaps the side edges 32 of the plywood sheet 25 andthe bottom frame rails 14 and 17.

Within the pads 28 is foam plastic material 30, such as polyurethanefoam. This provides the base 26 with an ability to withstand compressionloads, while also giving it a shock absorbing quality. The foam plastic,confined by the sheet 29, is substantially rigid, but will yield uponimpact, cushioning the container and its contents if the container isdropped during handling. This gives effective protection to the contentsof the container. The plastic. foam and plastic sheet 29 have memory,and return to their original shapes after distortion.

The skin of the container 10 includes two wall sections 33 and 34 oneither side, front and back parts 35 and 36, and a top 37. The skin maybe of the same plastic as the base cover sheet 29, provided (except forthe front wall 35) with stiffening ribs 38. Screws 39 attach the skin tothe framework 13 of the container. The fastener 39 includes a seal 40beneath its head, so that leakage is not permitted at the openings forthe screws.

The screws 39 along the lower edges of the walls extend also through theflange 31 of the bottom sheet 29, where it overlaps the bottom framerails 14 and 17.

The rear side skin section 34 is deflected at one vertical edge so as tooverlap the adjacent edge of the other side skin 33, as seen in FIG. 7.A caulking material 41 is included between the overlapped portions toproduce a watertight joint. At the corners of the container, the frontand back skin portions 35 and 36 include vertical right-angle edgeflanges 42 and 43, respectively, which overlap the adjacent edges of theside skins 33 and 34. Again, caulking material 41 seals the overlappingportions of the skin. The top skin section 37 has a depending flange 44around its periphery which overlaps and is sealed with respect to thetop edges of the adjoining side and end walls of the container.Fasteners 39 extend through the flange 44 of the top 37, as well as theupper edges of the side skin sections 33 and 34, and the ends 35 and 36,attaching them directly to the upper frame rails 16 and 18. Additionalfasteners 39 secure the midportion of the top 37 to the intermediateupper frame rails 20.

The forward part of the side flange 44 of the top 37 and the upper edgeof the front end skin 35 are of reduced thickness as seen in FIG. 8.Also, flush head fasteners are used in making the attachments to theframe atthis location. This causes the forward part of the flange 44 tobe flush with the forward end skin 35. Plush head screws also are usedin securing the lower edge of the front end skin 35 to the forward lowerframe rail 17.

Beneath the forward skin section 35 is a flat sheet metal piece 45 towhich this skin is secured by rivets 46. The sheet metal member 45 andthe front skin 35 provide only a relatively narrow border at the end ofthe container, defining a door opening 47, as seen in FIG. 8, which isnearly the full width and height of the container. Around the edge ofthis opening is an L- shaped projection of the member 45, resulting inan outwardly facing flange 48 which is parallel to the outer surface ofthe forward wall skin 35. Within the flange 48 at its base portion is agasket 49 of elastomeric material. The flange 48 has two straightopposite side portions 50 and 51, and a straight horizontal upper part52, but does not extend across the lower edge of the door opening. Thetwo side portions 50 and 51 of the flange 48 are not parallel but,instead, converge slightly toward the top.

The door 12 includes a frame 53 of sheet metal over which is a skin 54of plastic material having stiffening ribs 55. The same plastic may beused for the door cover sheet 54 as for the other plastic sheets of thecontainer. Additional rivets 46 secure the skin 54 to the outside of theframe 53. Along the side edges and the top of the frame 53 is aprojection which forms an inwardly facing doubled-over flange 56. Theflange 56 is substantially complementary to the flange 48. Thus, itsstraight side portions 57 and 58 are not parallel, but converge towardthe top where they are interconnected by a horizontal upper part 59. Thebottom ends 60 and 61 of the flange 56 are open, and there is no flangeacross the lower edge of the door. Instead, intermediate the bottom ends60 and 61 of the flange 56 is a gasket 62, which may be of foam rubber.

Two latches 63 are used in securing the door 12 to the container 10.Each latch 63 includes a strap 64 having a hook 65 at its upper endadapted to engage a hook 66 at the lower end of a strap 67 secured tothe door by bolts 68. The strap 64 is movable vertically in a flangedguide member 69, which at its lower end is mounted on a hinge pin 70,carried, in turn, by a yoke 71. Screws 72 secure the yoke 71 and aspacer 73 beneath it to the plywood base sheet 25. A rotary member 74,having a hexagonal head 75 to which is attached a handle 76, has a shortcircular disk portion 77 complementarily received in an opening in thestrap 64. An eccentric pin 78 extends from the disk 77 into alongitudinal slot 79 in the strap 64. Consequently, rotation of themember 74 causes vertical movement of the strap 64 in the guide 69. Thisallows it to secure or release the hook 66 carried by the door. When thelatches are released, their lower portions may be pivoted outwardlyaround the hinge pins 70 so that the door opening is clear and the hookelements 65 and 66 are separated.

When the door 12 is to be attached to the container 10, it is elevatedslightly relative to the container, generally as seen in phantom in FIG.13. Because of the convergence of the side flanges of the door andcontainer, the door then can be positioned flat against the front endwall. The door 12 next is allowed to drop straight downwardly, whichcauses the side portions 57 and 58 of the door flange 56 to fit behindthe side parts 50 and 51 of the container flange 48. Because the sideportions 50 and 51, and 57 and 58, of these flanges are convergentupwardly, they wedge together as the door 12 moves downwardly relativeto the container 10. This brings the inner edge 81 of the flange 56 ofthe door 12 into engagement with the gasket 49. Also, the horizontalsponge rubber door gasket 62 engages the lower horizontal corner of thedoor opening 47 to form a seal at the lower edge of the door. When therotary latch members 74 have caused the straps 64 to pull downwardly onthe door 12 by virtue of the engagement of the hooks 65 and 66, theentire lengths of the flanges 48 and 56 overlap and the door is heldfirmly in place. The result is a simple attachment which securely holdsthe door to the container by only two latching members cooperating withthe overlapping 'flanges. The entire periphery of the door is held tothe container and effectively seals the door opening 47.

The door is opened merely by releasing the latches 63, after which thedoor is lifted up to a slightly elevated position, such as indicated inphantom in FIG. 13 as well as in FIG. 14. Because of the upwardconvergence of the side flanges, the lower ends 60 and 61 of the doorflange 56 then clear the flange 51 of the container. This disengages thedoor and container flanges so that the door 12 then can be moved awayfrom the forward end of the container and set aside. Thus, the dooropens very easily with the interior of the container then beingaccessible through the large opening 47 in the forward end. It is notnecessary to have much space around the forward end of the container, aswould be necessary where a hinged door must be swung open, because thedoor will open with only lateral movement.

If desired, the door 12 may be secured to the container l and swungbetween open and closed positions, at the same time retaining thewedge-type sealed closing arrangement for the door. This modification isshown in FIG. 15. Here, there are provided two rods 83 extendingvertically along one side edge of the front end of the container.Brackets 84 secure the rods 83 to the container. The rods 83 act ashinge pins for hinge members 85 secured to the door 12. The hingemembers 85 are flat straps, much narrower than the lengths of the rods83, with loop ends 86 that receive the rods 83. The ends 86 are not onlyrotatable but also axially slidable relative to the rods 83. Therefore,the door 12 is permitted to move vertically relative to the container10, and the door can be wedged on the flange 48 and securely attachedand sealed as in the previously described embodiment. However, once ithas been raised upwardly a sufficient distance to disengage'the flange48, the door can be rotated around the hinge pins 83. The door no longeris a loose element that can be separated from the container.

The foregoing detailed description is to be clearly understood as givenby way of illustration and example only, the spirit and scope of thisinvention being limited solely by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A container device comprising means defining an enclosed space forreceiving objects,

and a support for said means, said support including a substantiallyrigid member at the bottom of said means defining an enclosed space,sheet means on the lower surface of said rigid member having at leastportions thereof in a spaced relationship with said rigid member, and aresiliently deformable material intermediate said portions of said sheetmeans and said rigid member for providing said support with shockabsorbing properties, said sheet means including an integral plasticsheet member beneath the entire area of said substantially rigid member,said portions of said sheet means being defined by spaced pockets insaid sheet member, said sheet member overlying said rigid memberintermediate said pockets, said resiliently deformable material beingsubstantially complementary to the confines of said pockets, said sheetmember entirely covering said resiliently deformable material.

2. A device as recited in claim 1 in which said pockets havesubstantially flat undersurfaces.

3. A device as recited in claim 2 in which said pockets aresubstantially rectangular in plan, and arranged to provide spacestherebetween both longitudinally and laterally of said sheet forallowing a fork to enter the space beneath said rigid member from anyside thereof.

4. A device as recited in claim 2 in which said rigid member is planarand has side edges, and said sheet member is of substantially uniformthickness and has an upstanding flange on its periphery overlapping saidside edges.

5. A device as recited in claim 4 in which said means defining anenclosed space includes a frame,

said frame having a lower portion engaging said substantially rigidmember,

said upstanding flange overlapping said lower portion as well as saidside edges,

and including means connecting said flange to said lower portion.

6. A device as recited in claim 5 in which 7 8 said lower portion ofsaid frame includes rails adjaflange and into said rails.

g2? Sald Sldfi edges of Sald substantany 7. A device as recited in claim6 including additional Said iconnecting Said flange to said lower popfasteners attaching said rails to said rigid member.

tion including fasteners extending through said

1. A container device comprising means defining an enclosed space forreceiving objects, and a support for said means, said support includinga substantially rigid member at the bottom of said means defining anenclosed space, sheet means on the lower surface of said rigid memberhaving at least portions thereof in a spaced relationship with saidrigid member, and a resiliently deformable material intermediate saidportions of said sheet means and said rigid member for providing saidsupport with shock absorbing properties, said sheet means including anintegral plastic sheet member beneath the entire area of saidsubstantially rigid member, said portions of said sheet means beingdefined by spaced pockets in said sheet member, said sheet memberoverlying said rigid member intermediate said pockets, said resilientlydeformable material being substantially complementary to the confines ofsaid pockets, said sheet member entirely covering said resilientlydeformable Material.
 2. A device as recited in claim 1 in which saidpockets have substantially flat undersurfaces.
 3. A device as recited inclaim 2 in which said pockets are substantially rectangular in plan, andarranged to provide spaces therebetween both longitudinally andlaterally of said sheet for allowing a fork to enter the space beneathsaid rigid member from any side thereof.
 4. A device as recited in claim2 in which said rigid member is planar and has side edges, and saidsheet member is of substantially uniform thickness and has an upstandingflange on its periphery overlapping said side edges.
 5. A device asrecited in claim 4 in which said means defining an enclosed spaceincludes a frame, said frame having a lower portion engaging saidsubstantially rigid member, said upstanding flange overlapping saidlower portion as well as said side edges, and including means connectingsaid flange to said lower portion.
 6. A device as recited in claim 5 inwhich said lower portion of said frame includes rails adjacent said sideedges of said substantially rigid member, said means connecting saidflange to said lower portion including fasteners extending through saidflange and into said rails.
 7. A device as recited in claim 6 includingadditional fasteners attaching said rails to said rigid member.